With a heavy heart, we say farewell to our director of social media, Rebecca. For the past 4 years, she has helped shape Interior’s digital voice, built a passionate public lands online community and written a great deal of the inspiring content you’ve enjoyed here. We wish her success in all her future endeavors. Thank you. Photo of a momma bear at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska by Kevin Dietrich (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Here’s a majestic sunrise sight: An eagle takes off from its nest at Shiloh National Military Park. Established in 1894, Shiloh National Military Park encompasses nearly 4,200 acres of land in southwestern Tennessee and includes a location in northeast Mississippi. In addition to being home to diverse wildlife, Shiloh tells the story of the most epic struggle in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties – more casualties than in all of America’s previous wars combined. Photo by Don Holland (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Buffalo National River in Arkansas flows pure and clear over a 132-mile meandering course through grassy meadows and by rocky bluffs. Its ancient current gives life to well over 300 species of fish, insects, freshwater mussels and aquatic plants. In addition to the thriving aquatic life, on land there are many more natural wonders to behold: caves with hidden formations, untrodden passageways, tall waterfalls and old pioneer farmsteads that provide food for elk, whitetail deer, wild turkey, bobwhite quail and many other species of wildlife. Settle on a rock by the river and you’ll see for yourself. Photo by John Bingaman (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Happy National Bison Day! Our national mammal is a shaggy symbol of strength and resilience. Public lands managed by Interior support 17 bison herds – or approximately 10,000 bison – in 12 states, including Alaska. Check out more interesting facts about bison: http://on.doi.gov/1Oc7VXg Photo of a bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

November is Manatee Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to celebrate these gentle giants and the conservation efforts to protect them. These aquatic mammals have elongated round bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail, and they have two forelimbs (called flippers). The average adult manatee is up to 14 feet long and can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Manatees are indicator species – that means when manatees are thriving, their immediate environment is flourishing with life. While in the 1970s, there were just a few hundred manatees, conservation efforts have helped this species rebound. Today, the range-wide population is estimated to be at least 13,000 manatees with more than 6,500 in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Carol Grant.

Happy Halloween! Let’s celebrate with this scary cute baby arctic fox at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Arctic foxes are found in two color phases: white and blue. White-phase foxes appear brown in the summer and pure white in winter. Blue-phase foxes appear gray in the summer and a lighter gray in the winter. Blue-phase foxes are uncommon, so this photo is a rare treat. Photo by Ryan Mong, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It’s Bat Week – a time to celebrate the role of bats in nature and all these amazing creatures do for us. 🦇

From providing essential pest control to pollinating our plants, bats are the unsung heroes of the night. Pictured here is the small but mighty lesser long-nosed bat, which is key to maintaining fragile desert ecosystems by pollinating both the saguaro cactus and agave (which is used to make tequila). It’s also a conservation success story. In 1988, there were fewer than 1,000 of these nectar-feeding bats, but today, there are an estimated 200,000 bats at 75 roosts in the Southwest and Mexico. Learn more about some of the different bat species in the United States: https://on.doi.gov/2JfdGmS. Photo by National Park Service.